The Watchman: ‘Loudermilk’ Adds a Farrelly, ‘The Kids’ Are All Over the Place, PBS Falls for Autumn

Season two of Loudermilk, the dark comedy about a man with a foul attitude, starts on AT&T Audience Network Oct. 16. The season sees the recovering alcoholic, played by Ron Livingston, back in Seattle, trying to make sense of his life.

Ron Livingston (r.) in 'Loudermilk.'

Executive producer Bobby Mort calls it “a really good rollercoaster ride” for Loudermilk. He gives Livingston credit for playing him on all his different levels. “I don’t know that he gets enough credit for being the glue of the show,” Mort said.

Mort and Peter Farrelly created Loudermilk. Bobby Farrelly is on board as an executive director this season, and directed most of its episodes. Mort mentioned “lots of elbowing” between the brothers.

Season two has its ups and downs. “There are really funny moments and really emotional moments,” Mort said. “It is like, for lack of a better word, life.”

The Kids Are Alright, a comedy about a kid growing up with seven brothers, debuts on ABC Oct. 16. It is set in the ’70s; the 10 Clearys live in a home with one bathroom, and conflicts pop up now and then.

Tim Doyle created The Kids. He, too, grew up with seven brothers. The young Doyle was most like character Timmy, who aspires to showbiz stardom. “I was a middle child who wanted the attention and the gratification,” he said. “I wanted to stand out from my brothers.”

Doyle narrated during the table reads, which lent the show a certain authenticity, so he took on the role officially.

There are fun touchstones that anchor The Kids Are Alright in the ’70s, such as Fotomats. And the children get a degree of liberty that children today don’t. “I had a lot of freedom of movement,” Doyle said of his upbringing.

He’s aiming to tell “a truer version” of the time than other shows about the days of yore. “I stay away from lava lamps,” said Doyle.

AutumnWatch — New England, a live nature special between the BBC and PBS, goes down across three nights starting Oct. 17. Travel expert Samantha Brown, presenter Chris Packham and cinematographer Bob Poole host from Squam Lake, N.H.

Its live aspect gives AutumnWatch “a greater degree of emotional content,” Packham said. “The sense of anticipation is something we harness and explore.”

The hosts check out the wildlife, the traditions, the leaves. “We don’t have anything that rivals the leaf color change in New England,” said Packham, an Englishman.

He likened the special to a music festival, where an attendee bops around from stage to stage, checking out different acts. “I’ve been to this part of the world in summer and the deep cold of winter,” he said. “I’ve not been in autumn.”